SOLIDARITY FOR SISTERHOOD:
WOMEN’S
FOUNDATION
OF
THE
SOUTH
Shifting Philanthropy in the South
01
Who We Are
02
03
The Women’s Foundation of the South (WFS) is a public foundation, led by and working for womxn and girls of color in the Southern United States. There has never before been a foundation dedicated to WGOC across 13 states, led by grantmaking experts of color.
We use the word ‘womxn’ to avoid perceived sexism in the standard spelling and to explicitly include transgender womxn and nonbinary people.
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
02
What We Do
01
02
03
W
e’re writing the next chapter for womxn and girls of color (WGOC) in the South by building an endowed institution that is founded on the principle that solutions are often held by those closest to the problem. By transforming the way philanthropy prioritizes its funding, we invest in the health, wealth, and power of Southern WGOC.
We want our work to HEAL: Hasten opportunities for transformative investment in womxn and girls of color in the South by building partnerships with womxn closest to the issues within communities.
Entrust in Southern WOC leaders, WOC-led nonprofit organizations, and small businesses by investing in healing centered and capacity building approaches.
Amplify stories, solutions, and innovations to change the narrative about womxn and girls of color in the South through strategic communications and research.
Leverage investment in the equitable progress being driven by Southern WOC leaders, entrepreneurs, and WOC-led nonprofit organizations to change the economic trajectory of 2.5M WGOCs by 2031.
We identify and subsequently forge relationships with non-profits in the South who work on behalf of – and are led by – womxn of color. We then tell the world about the untapped potential of WGOC in the South: brilliant leaders, entrepreneurs, change agents, organizers, parents, and young people who are tomorrow’s leaders.
By highlighting their stories, dreams, solutions, and innovations, we will change the narrative about what it means to be WGOC in the South.
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
03
WHAT WE DO
01
02
W
e intend to fund organizations with multi-year general operating support and leadership development grants. We trust their expertise in using those funds well.
The creation of WFS is a radical act. It was not created by the gift of a generous donor or legacy investment. It is being built from the ground up by the collective power of womxn of color and allies. As it secures investments from individuals, corporations, and foundations to support deeply under-resourced work on the ground, it is securing gifts of assets and legacies from donors seeking impact beyond their lifetime.
Our endowment is a permanent inheritance for WGOC in the South
Partnering with corporations, foundations, and individuals to fuel the growth and development of under-resourced WGOC
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
04
03
01
02
03
Why We’re Needed W
omxn are most affected by inequity, at the intersection of multiple systems of oppression.
Yet, historically, Womxn of Color have been frontline leaders and organizers, breaking both gender and racial barriers as they effected change.
We can also take a look at our country’s living wage, an approximate income needed to meet a family’s basic needs; The living wage in the United States was:
16.54
$
per hour
OR
68,808
$
per year 2019
before taxes for a family of four (two working adults, two children). Source for Living Wage:
https://livingwage.mit.edu/articles/61-new-living-wage-data-for-now-available-on-the-tool
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
05
WHY WE’RE NEEDED
01
02
However,
In early 2022, when multiple states unfurled higher minimum wage rates, twenty states refused to raise their wage floors above the federal rate for over a decade.
In fact, nine Southern states have minimum wages equal to the current federal minimum of $7.25, which is not enough to lift a family of two above the poverty line: Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
Source:
Roughly half of those states are in the U.S. South, where a majority of Black workers live, and where, not surprisingly, they experience higher levels of poverty and downward economic mobility.
https://www.facingsouth.org/2022/01/despite-historic-minimum-wage-increases-south-still-trails-behind
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
06
03
WHY WE’RE NEEDED
01
02
Southern states consistently rank at the bottom when it comes to comprehensive measurement of womxn’s rights and opportunities in America*.
ON A SCALE OF with 10 being the best, none of the 13 Southern states
1 - 10
ranked above a 5 or even above the national average at 4.86; this means that all 13 Southern states fall short for or outright fail womxn; particularly womxn of color.
1.67
Louisiana and Mississippi fared the worst
LOUISIANA
1.82
MISSISSIPPI
FULL RANKINGS FOR THE 13 SOUTHERN STATES FROM WORST TO BEST LOUISIANA MISSISSIPPI
1.67 1.82 2.31
ARKANSAS
2.38
ALABAMA
2.77
KENTUCKY TENNESSEE
2.99
S. CAROLINA
3.04 3.44
TEXAS MISSOURI
3.81
GEORGIA
3.82 4.46
N. CAROLINA
4.61
FLORIDA
4.85
VIRGINIA
Source:
https://giwps.georgetown.edu/usa-index/
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
07
03
WHY WE’RE NEEDED
01
02
03
We can also see Southern states’ relatively poor performance when viewing state-by-state data on Six Key Pillars identified by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and placed on an academic scale of:
A
F
BEST
FAILING
Employment and Earnings Composite
D-
F
D+
D-
D
F
F
C-
C+
D
C-
C-
ALABAMA
KENTUCKY
N. CAROLINA
ARKANSAS
LOUISIANA
S. CAROLINA
FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI
TENNESSEE
GEORGIA
MISSOURI
TEXAS
B
VIRGINIA
Political Participation Composite
D-
F
D+
D+
D
D-
D+
C
C-
D-
D-
F
ALABAMA
KENTUCKY
N. CAROLINA
ARKANSAS
LOUISIANA
S. CAROLINA
FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI
TENNESSEE
GEORGIA
MISSOURI
TEXAS
D-
VIRGINIA
Source:
https://statusofwomendata.org/national-trends/best-worst-states/ Data from 2020
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
08
WHY WE’RE NEEDED
01
02
Poverty and Opportunity Composite
D-
F
D+
C
D-
D-
F
D+
D+
D
D
D
ALABAMA
KENTUCKY
N. CAROLINA
ARKANSAS
LOUISIANA
S. CAROLINA
FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI
TENNESSEE
GEORGIA
MISSOURI
TEXAS
B-
VIRGINIA
Reproductive Rights Composite
D+
D
C
C
C
D
C-
D
C
C+
D-
C-
ALABAMA
KENTUCKY
N. CAROLINA
ARKANSAS
LOUISIANA
S. CAROLINA
FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI
TENNESSEE
GEORGIA
MISSOURI
TEXAS
C-
VIRGINIA
Source:
https://statusofwomendata.org/national-trends/best-worst-states/ Data from 2020
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
09
03
WHY WE’RE NEEDED
01
02
Health and Well-Being Composite
F
D-
C-
D
D-
F
F
D
D+
D-
D-
C-
ALABAMA
KENTUCKY
N. CAROLINA
ARKANSAS
LOUISIANA
S. CAROLINA
FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI
TENNESSEE
GEORGIA
MISSOURI
TEXAS
C
VIRGINIA
Work and Family Composite
D
C+
D-
C
D+
C
D-
C-
D+
C-
D
D+
ALABAMA
KENTUCKY
N. CAROLINA
ARKANSAS
LOUISIANA
S. CAROLINA
FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI
TENNESSEE
GEORGIA
MISSOURI
TEXAS
D-
VIRGINIA
Source:
https://statusofwomendata.org/national-trends/best-worst-states/ Data from 2020
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
10
03
01
02
Maternal Mortality W
hen it comes to maternal mortality, outcomes for womxn in the U.S. are strikingly poor, with the U.S. ranking highest on death as a result of childbirth.
For womxn of color in the South, maternal mortality outcomes are particularly grim:
Louisiana has the worst maternal mortality statistics in the nation, with Black womxn dying at 4x the rate of the national average. Georgia has the dubious honor of being close behind, at second-worst.
Source:
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/maternal-mortality-rate-by-state
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
11
03
01
02
Their work is continually under-resourced, keeping the South, and indeed, America, from achieving its highest vision for its future.
Womxn-of-color-led nonprofit organizations in the South receive the least funding from philanthropic sources: only 0.25% of funding actually reaches womxn/girls of color. Source:
https://forwomen.org/resources/pocket-change-report/
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
12
03
WHY WE’RE NEEDED
W
01
02
03
omxn of Color-led businesses and the economic potential of WOC entrepreneurs:
Before the pandemic, Black womxn were among the fastest-growing entrepreneurs, creating new businesses at a rapid rate that far outpaced other racial and ethnic groups. However, the economic impacts of the pandemic and a lack of access to funding sources threaten to wipe out decades of economic progress. Black womxn represent
42%
of new womxn-owned businesses—three times their share of the female population
and
36%
of all Black-owned employer businesses.
Despite the rapid growth, there are deep inequities in access to capital. Black womxn entrepreneurs only receive .2% of venture capital funding despite owning 1.5M businesses that generate over $44 billion annually.
WOC entrepreneurs have tremendous un-tapped potential. Investing in them makes economic sense for the economic health of the country.
Source:
WOC-led businesses employ more people of color and create more diverse workforces.
https://usafacts.org/articles/black-women-business-month/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/ruthumoh/2020/10/26/black-women-were-among-the-fastest-growing-entrepreneurs-then-covid-arrived/?sh=2c3720466e01 https://www.projectdiane.com
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
13
WHY WE’RE NEEDED
01
02
There are disproportionate rates of discrimination and violence against transgender, gender nonbinary, and gender nonconforming (TGNC) womxn in the South. On policy measures, 12 of the 13 Southern states have either negative or very low overall policy scores.
Source:
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/equalitymap
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
14
03
WHY WE’RE NEEDED
01
02
03
W
e understand that funding – and elevating – womxn of color in the South will simultaneously lift their families.
This should matter to everyone, not only as a moral imperative but also an economic one: Citigroup put a price tag on how much the economy has lost as a result of discrimination against African Americans: $16 trillion. (2020 data) Citigroup estimates the economy would see a $5 trillion boost over the next five years if the U.S. were to tackle key areas of discrimination against African Americans. This work will similarly impact and elevate future generations as well, breaking the cycle of entrenched, generational poverty. This is especially important right now: COVID-19 has exacerbated racial disparities in health and economic prosperity. Source:
https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/09/23/916022472/ cost-of-racism-u-s-economy-lost-16-trillion-because-of-discrimination-bank-says
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
15
01
02
The Time Is Now 2020’s social injustice and racial reckoning movement have opened the nation’s collective mind to righting the wrongs of the past and finally making room for equity and inclusion. Go to WomensFoundationSouth.org
today to become a monthly donor and follow us on social media.
WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTH
16
03
* Factors considered include womxn’s employment and opportunities, legal protections, intimate partner violence, racial gaps in women’s maternal mortality, racial disparities and gender representation in State Legislatures, etc. Sources:
https://statusofwomendata.org https://giwps.georgetown.edu/usa-index/ https://msmagazine.com/2021/08/11/best-worst-state-for-women-georgetown-research-index-usa-employment-maternal-mortality-violence/ https://transgenderlawcenter.org/equalitymap https://truthout.org/articles/southern-states-largely-excluded-from-historic-minimum-wage-increases/ https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/09/23/916022472/cost-of-racism-u-s-economy-lost-16-trillion-because-of-discrimi nation-bank-says https://usafacts.org/articles/black-women-business-month/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/ruthumoh/2020/10/26/black-women-were-among-the-fastest-growing-entrepreneurs-then-covid-arrived/?sh=2c3720466e01 https://www.projectdiane.com